Sound and stable China-India ties benefit both and world: envoy

There is a need to bring China-India relations forward along the right track, "manage differences properly" and jointly explore ways to get along well with each other, according to Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong.

A sound and stable China-India relationship is in the common interests of both sides and will contribute to peace and development of the region and the world, said a Saturday post of the official website of the Chinese Embassy in India.

The ambassador made the remarks after presenting the Letter of Credence to the President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India on Friday. The president shared the views for striving for good-neighborly and friendly relations.

Ambassador Xu conveyed the cordial greetings of Chinese leaders President Murmu, and said that China and India are both ancient civilizations with a long history, major developing countries and emerging economies, and are currently at a critical stage of national development and rejuvenation.

He called for the two sides to jointly explore ways for "major neighboring countries to get along well with each other".

Xu has sought to "carry forward the spirit of the five principles of peaceful coexistence, enhance political mutual trust, manage differences properly and advance mutually beneficial cooperation".

The Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to act following the characterization and common understandings of this relationship reached by leaders of the two countries, the embassy post said.

President Murmu said sound India-China relations are not only very important to the two countries, but also of great significance to the development and stability of the region and even the world.

The two countries should strive to nurture good, neighborly and friendly relations, the president told Xu.

Xu emphasized his commitment to fostering stronger bilateral ties during a meeting with President Murmu.

"Honored to present the Letter of Credence to Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and had a friendly discussion on China-India relations. I will make my due contribution to the improvement and development of China-India relations," the Ambassador posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

There have been numerous sincere efforts to ease the tension by both sides. One must not dismiss all these positive efforts to improve ties, said Haans Freddy, a professor in the Department of Political Science at Madras Christian College in Chennai, India.

Xu arrived in New Delhi on May 10 to fill an 18-month vacancy. He was among seven envoys who presented their letters of credence to the Indian President on Friday. Xu's predecessor, Sun Weidong, left New Delhi in Nov 2022 and took a vice-ministerial role at the foreign ministry in Beijing.

Soon after he arrives in India, Xu said he would work to deepen understanding and friendship between the two sides and restore cooperation in various fields.

He also reiterated the Chinese position that the border issue should be put in its "appropriate place" in the overall relationship. However, many Indian officials have prioritized the border issue.

So far China and India held their 21st round of Corps Commander level meetings and 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs to resolve border issues and improve bilateral ties.

Xu's arrival is bound to raise hopes of normalizing India-China which has faced border tensions for the last four years, said Swaran Singh, a professor of international relations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

What makes the timing of Ambassador Xu's arrival all the more momentous is that India is going through general elections with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his third term in office. Surely Xu has a big responsibility to be the catalyst for interactions between the world's two largest and most powerful nations, Prof Singh said.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.